Getting the Words Right: How to Rewrite, Edit and Revise" by Theodore A. Rees Cheney
is a wonderful guide on frequently misused words and she tells us which ones to use depending on the meaning the author wishes to convey. Unpublished authors frequently use the wrong word because we use those words in everyday speech (such as nauseous).
Some examples on words that are misused include:
- anxious (with anxiety) vs eager
- bring (toward speaker) vs take
- continual (always going on with discernible intervals) vs continuous (without intervals)
- disinterested vs uninterested (lack of interest)
- enthuse is not a real word
- envy (discontented and want what someone else has) vs jealous (fear of rivalry)
- farther (distances you could imagine measuring) vs further (hard to measure)
- nauseous (making others feel nausea and creating their desire to vomit) vs nauseated (to feel nausea)
- utilize (make do with something not normally used for that purpose)
- whether (consideration of alternatives) vs if (setting up a condition of the future)
This is a wonderful guidebook for authors to clean up and improve their writing.
Also, check out WordDoctors.com
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